The statement published below was released on November 2 by the international press team of students occupying the University of Vienna. Email the occupying students at internationalpress.unsereuni@gmail.com or visit www.unsereuni.at.
For two weeks, thousands of students have struggled against the unacceptable conditions at Austrian universities. Protests have targeted under-funding, restricted access to university and the predominance of economical interests in the educational system.
Students have been occupying several lecture halls and university spaces.
This movement is practising grassroots democracy and invigorating university life with self-organised lectures, workshops and task groups.
Students are getting involved in an unprecedented fashion and their concerns are receiving significant public attention.
Leading figures from politics, culture and society see the protest movement as a seismograph for problems that reach far beyond the educational system. More than 350 university lecturers and researchers have declared their solidarity with the occupying students and many are participating in the protests.
The highly precarious working conditions of university staff increasingly face, including short-term contracts and little job security, has a detrimental effect on the quality of research and teaching.
The movement demands the democratisation of university structures, a strong increase in public funding, free admittance for all with necessary qualifications and removing barriers to study for those with special needs.
After the protests grew and received statements of solidarity from around the world, the government reacted for the first time. The science minister Johannes Hahn promised 34 million euros from the ministry's reserve budget.
The protesters and several rectors have said this is not adequate to tackle the range of structural problems. The minister still has not spoken to the protesters directly.
A national day of action is aimed at strengthening the movement's demands and furthering public debate.